2nd nativity set complete!

could it be? 

(this is me in my living room after the last stitch)

we are all singing a joyful chorus after this finish!

what's that? you'd like to see the entire finished set in one post? 

seeing them all together makes me appreciate the entire set even more. they look so cute and i can't wait to someday see them finished and sitting on the mantle (not this Christmas guys, back into the finish pile for another year)

still trying to decide what to stitch next. i haven't made any new purchases in a while, but i'm trying to be good. i think for now i'm going to stick to something small while i wait for the stitchy finish high to subside. 

heavenly stitching

i was able to get through a huge chunk of her dress while binge watching the last 2 episodes of "stranger things" 

(watch it! it's amazing!) 

sleeves are diagonal mosaic, yoke is a 3-1-3 brick stitch, and skirt is an alternating wave variation. 

metallic motif was added to the sleeve trim and hem next, and now she is ready for the background!

i'm trying to figure out what to stitch next, which is always the hardest challenge for me. part of me wants to dive into another big project (remember my mackenzie childs stash that is going on 4 years and counting?) and then part of me wants to keep it simple and just stitch a small ornament from my stash. 

decisions, decisions!

the last "new nativity start" post

what a momentous occasion! it is the last "new start" of this nativity set, yippee!

it is also the ceremonious "i get to throw away every bit of thread i was saving from every nativity canvas kit for this entire project" day. that was quite a treat. 

her face, hair and halo...looking extra angelic

onto the wings! you'll notice a very subtle gauzy stitch over them, with the perfect amount of kreinik to outline how delicate they are. 

dress is next, then the much dreaded background, but SO CLOSE!

don't get me wrong, this has been a super fun project and i love each and every canvas in this set, but have you ever come to the end of a project and just been so beyond ready to get it over with? yep, that's me currently. 

baaaaack with a finish

apologies in advance - i neglected to take progress pictures so i don't have much to show for myself, but aren't these guys cute? 

this makes finish #11 for the nativity series, which means i only have 1 more left! 

i need to seriously give some thought to what i will possibly start working on next...another series? a small ornament? a larger canvas i've been avoiding? 

how do you decide?

fun finish!

sorry for the accidental break in posting! seems like everything got busy all at once, but i have still managed to find some stitching time. 

isn't he cute??? my tassels are "meh" but i love the overall look of this piece. so regal and elegant (and by far the largest in the whole set)

i've been working on the last animal canvas (sheepies) but in the hubbub of our lives i forgot to take progress pics along the way. forgive me? 

busting my hump to finish this one...

ugh. yep, still working on this one. i really got into the rhythm of quick finishes for these canvases, so excuse my lack of posting since this one is taking a bit longer!

after stitching the navy portion of the blanket, i turned my focus to the hem. first up: a little more very velvet

next layer: kreinik silver cross stitches

lastly: more purple kreinik and some fringe. ta-da!

aiming to finish the background tonight, and then comes the daunting task of the tassels. yikes!

happy hump day!

who am i kidding, you knew this post title was going to be a bad pun...

isn't he cute? he's also way larger than the past few canvases in the series, so this might take over a week

his fur brings him to life! his slanty little side eye is my fave.

i was feeling adventurous, so i started stitching the hump....

a lovely variation with petite very velvet? sign me up! 

here's hoping i can devote some serious time to finishing his hump and get some practice on tassel-making. 

that's a thing, right? 

a friday finish!

thanks so much for the support team! with your well wishes and encouragement, i was able to power through and cross the finish line this week! yippee!

stitching his hair and blanket took no time at all, and don't you just love his little eyeball?? he has such a sweet face. i'm really happy with my decision and think he makes a cute addition to the set. 

the whole enchilada! this little guy was a blink-and-you-missed-it project, but adds so much charm to the group. this next canvas will take a little more effort to make it over the "hump" to the finish line (hint hint)

what an a**!

ok before you unfollow me and stop reading my blog forever because of the offensive title....just hear me out. 

as you know, i was SUPER excited to start stitching these nativity animals and dove right on into the stitch guide. 

unfortunately the guide seemed to have conflicting instructions and there were multiple fibers included and i started to mildly freak out and search the web for other pictures of the stitched donkey so i could compare.

i was also getting antsy and felt like i had to at least start something, so i stitched his face in a shade of merino. 

after i took a picture and got a second opinion from mason, i freaked out, ripped out, and re-stitched his face in the other color of merino provided. 

after consulting more pictures on the internet, and looking at the image from the stitch guide, i counted to 10, turned my TV to the Bravo channel, reminded myself that this is just a fun hobby and not the end of the world, and resolved myself to re-stitch it again in the first thread. 

if you are counting, we are up to 3 times that i stitched this damn donkey. 

luckily he's small so it was still done in one day, but still. 

i don't mind airing my dirty needlepoint laundry. this art is all about trial and error, trying new techniques, ripping out and re-stitching. but most of the time we're so focused on the pretty finishes and less on the process it took to get to that point. i love how my donkey is starting to look, and in the end it might differ from the stitch guide, but it's mine. and i appreciate the journey that it takes to finish each individual canvas (some more than others).   

tender shepherd

(if you're familiar with the live musical version of peter pan, you'll understand the title reference)

when we last saw this tender shepherd, he still didn't have a robe, but he gained one man purse messenger bag after several start and finishes from yours truly. there have been several moments throughout this set that i have been in serious need of a stitch guide translator. someone that could say "yeah, i know it says this, but do this instead if you want it to look like the reference picture from the kit"

so i powered on and stitched him a robe while watching this new skateboarding show that we're obsessed with. 

was able to finish most of the background on friday night while i was waiting around for my sweetheart to get home from work, then knocked out the finish on saturday morning.

do you know what this means??? it means i get to move on to some animals next! yippee!

executive first assistant to the chief sheep officer

ok i admit it, i'm a little anxious to start stitching the cute animals, but technically this is the next canvas in the set so i'm powering through. 

don't get me wrong, this guy is equally cute. 

skin, turban, and beard stitched (he's aliiiiiiiiiiveeeeeee)

"a stitching study"

first layer: gobelin with some skipped tent stitches

second layer: remaining tent stitch in wool

third layer: red tent stitches and the completion of the bottom hem

by hook or by crook

the last component to this little guy was his great shepherd's crook. i laid 2 lengths of memory thread to follow the shape -

and with some careful maneuvering, was able to successfully nail down the little twists and turns, before i came back and satin stitched over it with mandarin floss. 

it really pops against the background, right? i've always had a fondness for 3-dimensional components with needlepoint, they can add so much character to it. his beard is alternating tent and french knots and i love how rugged he looks!

shepherd

officially past the halfway point for this set! woohoo!

the sweet and simple shepherd

before i started stitching the shepherd, i had to pack up all of the kreinik that was used on the majestic wisemen. i was skeptical as to how this sweet guy could even compare to the fancier canvases. but sure enough, with a beautiful design and the perfect choice of decorative stitches, this canvas started coming to life too.

the headdress and gown took a brief part of the afternoon...

followed by the robe a day or two later

i can't wait to stitch his little crook! the silhouette is just so sweet, can't you just imagine him in a field of sheep?

a finish from the road!

typically i don't take my needlepoint with me on car trips, since looking down for a long period of time tends to make me a lil queasy. but luckily i only had a bit more of the background to complete so i powered through took frequent breaks and watched for deer and navigated and eventually i lazily limped across the finish line from the car!

green wiseman

i need to make 1 tiny adjustment on the robe, but this is still a finish in my book! 

for mason's birthday, we took a little trip down to fredericksburg for a weekend of wine and relaxation. our cottage was 10 miles outside of town situated on the most beautiful piece of land, and we were surrounded by wildflowers, hill country views and lots of furry friends. 

it was the perfect way to unwind and relax, before the looming threat of work and responsibility kicked back in this morning. boo.